All of these are names for the same place, the primary fort built by Juan Pardo during his 1566-1567 foray into heartland America, near present day Morgantown, NC, in Burke County. But in case you thought he was the first, he wasn’t. Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto beat him by more than 20 years. He visited this area in 1540, almost 70 years before the English settlement at Jamestown and 47 years before sir Walter Raleigh’s “Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island.

The site, known at the Berry Site, has been being excavated in the summers now for several years, beginning in 2000. Recently , the New York Times published an update on this year’s dig. In July of 2013, archaeologists announced that they have found the actual Spanish fort itself, shown below. Be sure to watch the video in the article.

Archaeological finds from excavations have established evidence of both substantial Mississippian and sustained Spanish 16th-century settlement at the Berry site.

Established about AD 1000, Joara was the largest Mississippian culture settlement within the current boundaries of North Carolina. In 1540, Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto encountered the people at this chiefdom site. It was still thriving in January 1567 when the Spanish soldiers under Captain Juan Pardo arrived. Pardo established a base there for the winter, called the settlement Cuenca, and built Fort San Juan. After 18 months, the natives killed the soldiers at the fort and burned the structures down. That same year, 1568, the natives destroyed all six forts in the southeast interior and killed all but one of the 120 men Pardo had stationed in them. As a result, the Spanish ended their colonizing effort in the southeastern interior and the Native people apparently abandoned this site.

3 Responses to Fort San Juan – Joara – Xuala- The Berry Site

In the history I have read, the Catawba were in Cofitechequi and Joara is a Cheraw (or Sara site).
This area was the Essaw Nation, which included many Siouan tribes. The pottery from what I have read is also exactly alike. So is this not an Essaw nation site? I believe it is, which includes all of those little villages who spoke Siouan. Sometimes it seems there is not clarification and that
one tribe closes in on something and the full evidence is not there. What evidence sets apart Catawba from everyone else who was located there? These groups of Siouan speaking languages all were one confederation, were they not?

May I ask why this area is called the Berry site? Anything to do with the lost colonists named Berry? I ask because my husband’s ancestors (Berry) are from the Drowning Creek area of NC, where many Lumbees still live.